Tack button



Nov., M, i939. F. G. PURINTQN W952i TACK BUTTON Filed Feb. l5, 1938 rzjes' G. Bar/151212121) @bq/MM Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE TACK BUTTON Application )February 15, 1938, Serial No. 190,658

l1 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in buttons, and more particularly to what is known as a tack button.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the tack button is a button that is permanently secured by driving a tack up into the button head where the tack becomes upset or deformed to thereby tightly hold the button in position.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a button having insignia on its top or upper face and the button so formed that it may be properly oriented or registered in a button-attaching machine. Thus, if the buttons, for instance, are to be used on an overall bib, the insignia or design will be rightside up rather than in any other position. A further object of the invention is to provide a button, which, if molded, may be quickly and easily oriented as it is placed in the dies, so that the insignia will be embossed in a certain relative position and the button when later fed to the station of a button-attaching machine will also properly position itself in order that the reading matter or insignia just prior to the attaching operation will also be in the properly aligned position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button which preferably may be a molded composition button and so constructed that it will orient itself when being fed to the die for stamping and likewise will properly orient itself when being fed to the attaching station of the button-attaching machine. Again, the button might be a solid metal button, it likewise being capable of orienting itself in the buttonattaching machine, or, nally, it may be made of sheet metal, while the cap with the insignia thereon Will be properly positioned so that when this button is fed through the button-attaching machine, the insignia will also be in its proper desired readable position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button with an eccentrically located hub so that not only may the button be fed in a desired position to the attaching station of a button-attaching machine, but the head of the button will present an overhang when used in connection with a buttonhole or suspender loop, thereby providing less chance for accidental disengagement than would otherwise be the case.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed as the specification proceeds.

Referring now to the drawing showing three (Cl. llil-20) types of buttons, that is, a molded plastic button, a solid button, and a shell button:

Fig. l is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a molded button, showing the eccentrically positioned hub with the die or vise embedded therein;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig..3 is a perspective detail of a V-shaped trough with the button being fed down the same;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing the button in the holding station with the stamping die above the same;

Fig. 5 is -a top plan View of thev button after the embossing operation;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of this form of button and shown as attached to the cloth;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the modied form of solid metal button, the hub being shown in its eccentric position;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan View of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional View of a stamped or sheet metal button showing the hub eccentrically disposed and also showing the vise and anvil within the shell;

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan View of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the button shown in Fig. 9, with the insignia on the cap;

Fig. 12 is a face view of a button as attached to an overall bib and showing the insignia in its proper horizontal position.

Referring now for the moment to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, to what might be termed the preferred form, that is, the plastic button, there is shown a button head or back l, which may be formed of any desired plastic composition. It will be noticed that it has an eccentric or oiset hub 2, in which is embedded the vise or die 3. Into this vise or die 3, there will be driven a tack 4 (Fig. 6) during the button-attaching operation.

As previously pointed out, it is highly desirable that these tack buttons be of such form that they may be attached in a button-attaching machine, so that the insignia, reading matter, or trademark will be in a predetermined position during the attaching operation. Thus, when the button is secured to an overall bib, the reading matter will be in the proper horizontal position, or if the button is to be attached to a work-suit or coat, likewise the reading matter on the button will be rightside up rather than say at an angle or upside down.'

I have found that by offsetting the hub with relation to the center of the head of the button, the buttons may be easily oriented both when they are to be stamped or embossed and when they are used in the button-attaching machine.

I have `also found that when the hub is disposed eccentrically of the button head and these buttons are placed in a V-shaped trough 5, thev weight of the hub being disposed eccentrically to the button will cause the button to travel down the trough with the hub downward and foremost.

However, it will be understood that I may employ any desirable form of trough that Will permit the buttons to slide to their destination and arrive in a predetermined position.

This trough or troughs may lead to a buttonembossing die or station 6, as shown fragmentarily in Fig. Li, so that a die or plunger i with the desired embossing 8 thereon may also be properly oriented or positioned, in order -that the desired insignia, as shown at 9 (Fig. 5), may be embossed or pressed into the molded button head. Thus, it will be seen in Fig. that thereading matter P. B. Co. is arranged in horizontal position with the overhang of the button head posi tioned downwardly.

Oi course, the button heads I'. might have the insignia molded` or embossed therein at the time they are formed and the insignia denitely arranged with relation to the koffset hub;

In either instance, after the buttons have been properly embossed, they may be placed in the hopper of a button-attaching machine (not shown) and fed down a trough similar to the trough 5 to an atta-ching station ci the buttonattaching machine (not shown), and as they will properly position themselves in passing down a chute, they will be in the correct desired position in the receivers (not shown) of the button-attaching machine, so that the tack i may then be driven through the cioth iii into the vise 3 and deformed, as at. ii, to securely hold the button in position.

Thus, it may be seen in Fig. l2 that the inn signia or reading 'matter 9 will be horizontally disposed, and when they button is passed into the loop i2, the overhang of the button will be downwardly of the loop, making it necessary to push the button farther up into the loop to disengage the same and also making accidental disengagement less possible. In 4the same way, when the button is to be used on the sides of a garment, if the overhang of the head is placedv in ay direction away from the edge of the garment bearing the buttonhole, with which the button is to be engaged, then this eXtra overhang of the button head will tend to prevent accidental disengagement from the buttonhole.

It willy be apparent that by providing the button with an eccentric hub, the same may properly orient itself in the button-attaching machine or it may be oriented in rits travel to the embossing operation.

Referring now to a slightly modied form, and to Figs. 7 and 8 'for the moment, there is shown a button head I3, which may be of aluminum, stainless steel, or other similar material, and, in this instance, I have shown the chamber ifi in which may be driven a tack, similar to the tack i in Fig. 6, to attach the button. It will be understood that the weight of the hub being eccentrically displaced with relation to the button head, this button may likewise be properly oriented in a button-attaching machine, so that any insignia stamped or pressed in the button head will be in a correct horizontal readable position when attached to agarment.

I have shown this form of button without a vise or die within the chamber lll, but it willy be understood that one may be placed therein, if so desired.

Besides the molded button and the solid metal button, the invention is also applicable to what is known as a stamped or sheet metal button, that is, wherein there is a button back or shell I 5, in which is located a die i6 with the anvil plate lli' and the cap i8 with its insignia i9. The shell l5 has the hub 2@ ecoentrically positioned in the identical manner that the hubs are positioned in the buttons shown in Figs. 1 and '7. Where a button of this type is used, however, preliminary registering means must be used ior the cap, so that when the cap is crimped in position, the insignia will bear a certain definite relationship to the position of the hub and the button head, as shown in Fig. 11.

Various means may be used for registering the cap with the shell, and this does not enter into the present invention.

After the button is once capped, however, it mayA be fed through the button-attaching machine in the identical manner that the other two forms of buttons are fed and the button will be properly oriented when it reaches the receivers (not shown) of a bntton'attaching machine.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised a tack button wherein, ir oi the molded type, it may be quickly oriented to receive its embossing and wherein, aiter once embossed, it may be fed through a. button-attaching machine in a simple and easy manner, the button always correctly positioning itself, due to the weight of the eccentrically disposed hub.

The invention may be just as readily applied to a solid metal button and further employed with a sheet metal button, in this instance, however, it being necessary to preliminarily orient the cap with relation to the shell and its offset hub.

Finally, a button of this form provides an overhang, thus making the chances oiactual disengagement less than in the ordinary button with the concentrically disposed hub.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A button or the like comprising a top portion and a hub, a design on the top portion, the hub being disposed eccentrically to the top portion and in certain denite relation to the design for registering the design with a button-attaching machine.

2. A buttonor the like comprising a top portionl and a hub, a design on the top portion, the center of the hub being spaced from the center of the top portion and in certain deiinite relation to the design whereby the eccentric position of the hub makes it possible to register the dosign when attached in a button-attaching machine.

3. A button or the like having a top and a hub, a cap on said top, a design on said cap, the position of the hub being eccentric to the top, and the hub bearing a definite relation to the design on the cap for registering the design with a button-attaching machine.

4. A button head or the like having a top portion anda hub, a design on the top portion, the hub being eccentrically positioned with relation to the top portion and in a denite relation to the design for registering the design with a buttonattaching machine.

5; A button comprising a body and a hub, a cap over said body, the cap having a design thereon, thehub being eccentrically positioned with relation to the body and bearing a definite relation to the design on the cap for registering the design with a buttomattaching means.

6. A tack button comprising a body portion and a hub, the body portion having a design on its top, the hub being eccentrically positioned beneath the head and bearing a de'nite relation to the design whereby the button may he prop erly positioned in a button-attaching machine for registering the design within the button-attaching machine.

7. A molded tack button comprising a head and a hub, means within the hub for receiving the tack, insignia on the head, the huh and its means eccentrically positioned with relation to the head and in certain relation to the design whereby the button and its design may be properly registered when attached in a button-attaching machine.

8. A solid metal button comprising a head and an eccentrically positioned integral hub, the head having insignia thereon and bearing a denite ren lation to the hub, and the hub formed to receive and deiorm a tack for holding the button in an attached position.

9. A solid metal button head having an eccentrically positioned hollow hub, insignia on the head and in predetermined relationship with respect to the eccentric hub, the position of the hub making it possible to properly orient the button When used in a button-attaching machine, and the hub adapted to receive and deform a tack.

i0. A sheet metal button comprising a shell having a hub, anchoring means Within the hub oi the shell, a cap With insignia crimped on said shell, the hub of the shell being eccentrically positioned with relation to the shell and cap and hearing a denite relation to the insignia on the cap whereby the button may be oriented in a button-attaching machine, and the anchoring means adapted to receive and deform a tack to hold the button in an attached position.

l1. A sheet metal button comprising a shell, a cap with insignia. over said shell, the shell being provided with an oset hub and bearing a deiinite relation to the insignia on the shell, means Within the shell for receiving and deforming a tack, and the offset hub making it possible to orient the button when fed in a button-attaching machine.

FORREST G. PURINTON. 

